Woman rescued from Tualatin River after kayak crashed into tree

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A woman survived a crash on a kayak in the Tualatin River thanks to a rescue from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, officials announced.

On Jan 12, the woman fell out of a kayak near Meriwether National Golf Club when the vessel hit a tree while she was on the river with friends. Deputies said she was quickly helped to get to the riverbank, but experienced a medical emergency due to the water’s cold temperatures.

“The kayakers were in an area difficult to see or access through thick brush,” according to the sheriff’s office. “Using GPS markers in their body cameras, deputies began working to locate the boaters from the side of the river they were on.”

Deputies used a kayak to cross the river and help the women but when they realized she needed to go to the hospital, they used a machete to create a pathway to an ambulance.

The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment and survived, according to officials.